Pedal for bicycle

ABSTRACT

A pedal for bicycle adapted to support a toe clip, having a shoe placing portion thereon, near the front treadle face of a pedal body. The pedal body is provided, on its top face, with a front treadle face and a rear treadle face. An engaging and disengaging means is provided on this toe clip to allow the shoe placing portion to enter and leave the front treadle face of the pedal body.

This is a division of application Ser. No. 90,624 filed Nov. 2, 1979,now U.S. Pat. No. 4,302,987.

The present invention relates to a pedal for bicycle and moreparticularly to a bicycle pedal provided with a toe clip.

Conventionally a bicycle had a toe clip, with a shoe placing portionthereon, mounted on the pedal body. A cyclist's show tip which wasplaced on the pedal body was engaged into the shoe placing portion ofthe toe clip to transmit the treading force to the pedal body throughboth the pedal treading action and pulling-up action thereby efficientlyrotating the crank.

When the toe clip was mounted on the pedal body, no problems occurredwith the skilled cyclist. However, the toe clip was an obstacle withunskilled cyclists, thus interfering with the cycling operation. No clipwas better under some circumstances depending upon the type of the shoesor cycling condition, in which the existence of the clip sometimesbecame an obstacle.

The present invention is provided to remove the above-described problemswith the toe clip equipped pedal. An object of the present invention isto provide a pedal for a bicycle wherein the toe clip can be drawn outof the treadle face of the pedal body without removing the toe clip whenthe toe clip is not required and the pedal can be used as an ordinarypedal.

Namely, according to the present invention, the toe clip, with a shoeplacing portion thereon, is supported near the front treadle face of thepedal body which is provided, on its top face, with a front treadle faceand a rear treadle face. An engaging and disengaging means is providedon this toe clip to allow the shoe placing portion to enter and leavethe front treadle face of the pedal body.

The engaging and disengaging means is adapted to allow the shoe placingportion of the toe clip to be drawn from the treadle face of the pedalbody. The engaging and disengaging means may be provided on the shoeplacing portion of the toe clip and may be preferably located on themounting portion of the toe clip with the pedal body.

When the engaging and disengaging means is provided on the shoe placingportion, the shoe placing portion is provided separately from thehorizontal portion, with a mounting portion thereon, and is supported bya pivotal shaft. When the shoe placing portion is not used, the toe clipis superposed on the top face or the bottom face of the horizontalportion and is folded to draw the shoe placing portion from the treadleface. Also, when the engaging and disengaging means is provided on themounting portion, the toe clip is pivotally supported on the pedal bodyand the entire toe clip may oscillate with respect to the pedal body.

When the toe clip is not required, the shoe placing piece can be drawnfrom the treadle face of the pedal body to use as an ordinary pedalwithout the toe clip.

The aforesaid objects of the present invention and others will beapparent from the following description and also characteristics of thepresent invention will be fully understood with the aid of theaccompanying drawings, in which

FIG. 1 is a plan showing one embodiment of a pedal in accordance withthe present invention,

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line 11--11 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line 111--111 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 show another embodiment,

FIG. 4 is a plan of a pedal, and

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a pedal taken along a line V--V ofFIG. 4.

Referring to FIG. 1, numeral 1 is a bearing cylinder connected to thecrank arm A of a bicycle. Numeral 2 is a pedal shaft rotatably supportedon the bearing cylinder 1. The bearing cylinder comprises a cylinderwhich is slightly longer than the thickness of the crank arm A. Thebearing cylinder is provided, on its outer periphery, with a screw 11which is engaged into a tapped hole of the crank arm A and on its innerperiphery, with a pair of ball races 12 and 13 on its axial ends.

Also, the pedal shaft 2, which is slightly longer than the bearingcylinder 1, is provided, on the outer periphery of its axial one end,with a ball race 21 and on the outer periphery of its axial other-end,with a screw 22. The pedal shaft is provided, in the central portion ofits axial one-end, with a square hole (not shown) for rotatingoperation. Also, numeral 25 is a lock nut with a square hole 23 therein.Numeral 3 is a frame secured to the pedal shaft 2, the frame having avertical portion 31 and a horizontal portion 32 and as shown in FIG. 2is approximately L-shaped and made of a rigid material such as steel orthe like. The vertical portion 31 is provided with a projection 33,which extends axially to the pedal shaft 2, the projection beingprovided, on its outer periphery, with ball race 34. A tapped hole 35 isprovided at the central portion. The screw 22 of the pedal shaft 2 isengaged into the tapped hole 35 to secure the frame 3 to the pedal shaft2.

Also, the horizontal portion 32 deviates with respect to the shaft coreof the pedal shaft 2. The tip end of the horizontal portion extends inthe same direction as the shaft core of the pedal shaft 2. Also, thehorizontal portion 32 is rectangular in section, as shown in FIG. 3, ishorizontal on its long side and has in its middle portion two firstthrough-holes which are vertically extended.

As shown in FIG. 2, the screw 22 of the pedal shaft 2 is engaged intothe tapped hole 35 of the frame 3 to fix the pedal shaft 2 with theframe 3. Balls 4 and 5 are provided, respectively, between the ball race12 of the bearing cylinder 1 and the ball race 21 of the pedal shaft 2,and between the ball race 13 of the bearing cylinder 1 and the ball race34 of the frame 3 to rotatably support the pedal shaft 2 and the frame 3with respect to the bearing cylinder 1. By a screwing adjustment of thepedal shaft 2 to the frame 3, the desired rotating condition can beeasily made.

Also, numeral 6 is a pedal body secured to the frame 3 of theabove-described characters. The pedal body is mainly made of inexpensiveand light synthetic resin or aluminum alloy. The pedal body is provided,in the front and in the rear, with a front treadle face 61 and a reartreadle face 62. The front treadle face 61 and the rear treadle face 62are connected with each other in the right and left side portions. Theintermediate portion has a plurality of through-holes 63 provided forlighter weight and a through-hole 64 for accommodating a shoe placingportion of a toe clip 7 to be described later. Two stationary pieces 65,66, a plurality of reinforcing pieces 67 and one connecting piece 68 forconnecting the stationary pieces 65, 66 are provided between thethrough-holes 63 and 64.

The stationary pieces 65 and 66 are provided between the front treadleface 61 and the rear treadle face 62. As shown in FIG. 3, the middleportion is concaved with respect to the ends. The stationary pieces 65,66 have, respectively, second through-holes 65a, 66a, which respectivelyconform to the first through-holes 36, 37 of the frame 3. Stationarypins 8 and 9 are inserted, respectively, through the first through-holes36, 37 and the second through-holes 65a, 66a connecting them so that thepedal body 6 is secured to the frame 3 through the stationary pieces 65and 66. Also, the top face of the connecting piece 68 is generally lowerthan the stationary pieces 65 and 66. The top face of the connectingpiece 68 is adapted to support a toe clip 7 to be described later.

As shown in FIG. 3, the toe clip 7 comprises a horizontal portion 70; amounting portion 72, with a shaft hole 72a therein, located behind thehorizontal portion 70; and a shoe placing portion 71 located before thehorizontal portion 70 and adapted to rise upwardly. A pivotal shaft 10in the same direction as that of the pedal shaft 2 is supported, by thetoe clip, on the inner side of the front treadle face 61, i.e., betweenthe stationary pieces 65 and 66 on the bottom side. The toe clip ispivotally provided on the pivotal shaft 10.

However, the toe clip 7 pivoted as described hereinabove becomesrotatable around the pivotal shaft 10. When the toe clip has beenrotated forwardly as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, the toe clip issupported, by the front treadle face 61 forwardly projected. The shoeplacing portion 71 is adapted to upwardly project with respect to thetreadle faces 61 and 62. Also, when the treadle face has been rotatedrearwardly, the above placing portion 71 is downwardly directed, asshown in the two-point chain line of FIG. 3, to project into thethrough-hole 64 of the pedal body 6. The shoe placing portion is adaptedto draw from the treadle faces 61 and 62. At this time, the horizontalportion 70 is supported by the connecting piece 68.

In the above-described embodiment, the pivotal construction of the toeclip 7 by the pivotal shaft 10 consitutes an engaging and disengagingmeans of the present invention.

Also, in the above-described construction, a concave portion 61a isprovided in the front treadle face 61 to receive the horizontal portion70 of the toe clip 7 to stabilize the projected portion of the toe clip7. Also, the shoe placing portion 71 of the toe clip 7 is curved, asshown in FIG. 3, to upwardly rise into the through-hole 64 forwithdrawing movement, and the curved portion is brought into contactagainst the inner wall of the through-hole 64, whereby the withdrawingposition (accommodating position) can be retained. Also, in theabove-described embodiment, the pivotal shaft 10 is supported in thesame direction as that of the pedal shaft 2 to support the toe clip 7.As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the pivotal shaft 10 may be verticallypositioned and be inclined rearwardly, in its top end, with respect tothe lower end thereby to be supported by the pedal body 6. The toe clip7 may be supported, by the pivotal shaft, on the under side of the pedalbody 6.

In this case, the toe clip 7 pivotally turns externally of the pedalbody 6, in the shoe placing portion 71, around the pivotal shaft 10 asshown in the two-point chain line of FIG. 4. The shoe placing portion 71is located downwardly of the rear position of the pedal body 6 andadapted to be withdrawn from the treadle faces 61 and 62 downwardlythrough the rearward turning operation.

To cycle a bicycle with the use of the toe clip 7 when theabove-described pedal is used, the toe clip 7 is pivoted, around thepivotal shaft 10, onto the forward side of the pedal body 6 as shown inFIG. 3. The shoe placing portion 71 is positioned above the treadlefaces 61, 62 and the front portion of the shoe placed on the treadlefaces 61 and 62 is engaged into the shoe placing portion 71.

Also, when the toe clip 7 is not required, the toe clip 7 is rearwardlypivoted around the pivotal shaft 10 as shown in the two-point chain lineof FIG. 3. The shoe placing portion 71 downwardly withdraws from thetreadle faces 61 and 62. In this case, the toe clip 7 cannot become anobstacle and can be used in the same manner as a pedal with no toe clip7 therein.

According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, the shoeplacing portion 71 is formed separately from the horizontal portion 70of the toe clip 7 and is rotatably foldable with respect to thehorizontal portion 70, and the entire toe clip 7 is not pivoted asdescribed hereinabove. The shoe placing portion 71 may be upwardlypivoted when the toe clip 7 is used, and the shoe placing portion 71 maybe folded when the toe clip 7 is not used.

In the pedal of the present invention as described hereinabove, the shoeplacing portion of the toe clip is adapted to freely enter and leave thetreadle face of the pedal body. Thus, the shoe placing portion is movedabove the treadle face during the use of the toe clip to easily use thepedal. When the user is not accustomed to the toe clip, the shoe doesnot fit the shoe placing portion or the shoe placing portion is notrequired due to the cycling condition, the shoe placing portion iswithdrawn downwardly of the treadle face, with the result that thecycling can be performed with the ordinary pedal without interferencefrom the shoe placing portion.

As many apparently widely different embodiments of the present inventionmay be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it isto be understood that the invention is not limited to any specificembodiment thereof except as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A pedal for a bicycle comprising a pedal shaft, a pedal body supported on said pedal shaft, and a toe clip pivotally supported on the pedal body through a pivotal shaft means projecting from an underside of the pedal body, said pivotal shaft means extending in an inclined vertical direction such that a top end thereof is inclined rearwardly from a front of said pedal body with respect to a lower end thereof, the latter of which is positioned at said front of said pedal body, the pedal body being provided on its top face with a front treadle face and a rear treadle face and supporting through said pivotal shaft means the toe clip near the front treadle face, the toe clip being provided in its front portion with an upwardly rising shoe placing portion, said pivotal shaft means allowing the shoe placing portion to pivot to a first position where it is above the front and rear treadle faces of the pedal body and to a second position where it is below the front and rear treadle faces of said pedal body. 